BRUIN BOYS LOSE IN HEARTBREAKING FASHION

Kevin Sthen avoids the outstretched leg of a defender in Tuesday's loss to the North Marion Huskies. (The Pilot/Jef Hatch).

By Chad Robert Snyder

Pilot staff writer

The Bruins welcomed the North Marion Huskies to Brookings-Harbor High School for the first of what they'd hoped would be a series of playoffs games.

After taking a 1-0 lead into halftime, prospects were good, but the Bruins were ultimately unable to hold off the Huskies second half attack and lost the game 3-1.

What was most disappointing, as Bruin Head Coach Gabriel Anaya said, was the feeling the Bruins weren't beaten by a superior team.

"It's not like they were dominating us," he said. "They just got the ball in the net when they had the opportunity."

The game was definitely a extension of that observation.

On field conditions that were soggy at best and flooded at worst, both teams struggled to advance the ball and control it when it was in their possession.

The only scoring of the first half came when team captain Linden Loren got the ball a scant 20 feet from the Huskies net. Conditions were such that striking the ball soundly was difficult  it took an exceptional effort by Loren to score the Bruins' only goal.

Mishits and completely missed balls were a theme for both teams. The real difference in the game seemed to be the Huskies fortuitous position in front of the net during the second half, and their ability to convert on their luck.

Two incidences of miscues also cost the team, Anaya said.

"We made a couple of mistakes," he said, noting that his team left the ball centered for the Huskies on at least two occasions. "They took advantage.

The Bruins did make a valiant second half effort according to Anaya, but due the the field conditions and the mounting lead by the Huskies the situation was too much to overcome.

"We had our chances, but the playoffs are like that," he said. "You have to take control and take advantage of everything you can get."

The defeat was a disappointment to Anaya, but not due to the effort of his team.

"I'm proud of the way they played," he said. "They're a great team and they've had a great season."

When asked about the future of the program, Anaya said he'll miss many of the players he's losing his year, but that the future can hold as much success as his players are willing to work for.

"We'll see who comes out, but it looks good again," he said. "We're definitely going to keep on playing."